FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Matt King (414) 343-7634
matt.king@harley-davidson.com
HINES CLAIMS $25,000 IN BONUS RACE AT 2007 MAC TOOLS
U.S. NATIONALS IN INDIANAPOLIS
Krawiec and Hines Stumble in Eliminations
INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 3, 2007) - Andrew Hines and the
Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson team won the Ringer's
Gloves Pro Bike Battle for the third time in five appearances.
The bonus race is held annually at the Mac Tools
U.S. Nationals at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis.
Hines beat Chip Ellis in the final of the bonus
event on Saturday en route to a $25,000 payday for the win. Hines recorded
a 7.005-second pass at 189.31 on his Harley-Davidson V-Rod to beat Ellis'
7.069 at 186.64 on his Drag Specialties S&S Buell.
Unfortunately, Hines didn't manage to double-up
this season by winning the U.S. Nationals main event. Hines beat teammate
Eddie Krawiec in the first round of final eliminations on Monday but came
up short in a second round matchup against Craig Treble and the Team Tigue
Suzuki group.
Hines ran a 6.974 at 191.39 to beat Krawiec's 7.067
at 187.44 in the first round. Hines fouled out in the second round against
Treble.
"My team did a great job and they kept me
competitive all weekend," Hines said. "The second round loss
didn't have anything to do with the motorcycle or anything else. I just
made a mistake. But the team worked hard and it was a good weekend
overall."
Hines said the bonus race is more fun because there
isn't any pressure associated with it - there aren't any NHRA POWERade
points connected to it either.
"We've had a lot of good success in that bonus
race over the years," Hines said. "My brother (crew chief Matt
Hines) won it four times and (former teammate) GT Tonglet won it once too.
We try not to do anything special for the bonus event. We just race.
"There isn't any pressure with the Ringer's
Gloves battle. There aren't any points involved, just cash and that takes
all of the pressure off the team. It's just fun. But we have to try and
win it again next year so we can try and earn the double-up bonus from
NHRA."
Even though Krawiec lost in the first round, it was
still a big weekend for the newest member of the Screamin' Eagle team.
This was the first time Krawiec had qualified for the longest-running NHRA
national event.
"That was a big plus for me, qualifying for
the U.S. Nationals for the first time," Krawiec said. "We
struggled a bit throughout the weekend and unfortunately our struggles
carried over into the first round. The pairings were tough because you
never want to race your teammate, especially in the opening round. But we
have four more races this season and we have a lot of rounds left to race
so we just have to move on."
Starting this year, NHRA has developed a playoff
format for all professional categories. The top eight competitors in each
category advanced to the second round starting with the U.S. Nationals.
The Pro Stock Motorcycle category has two more chances to get into the top
four - the third and final round of the Countdown.
The third round of the Countdown will feature the
top four riders and they will have two events (Las Vegas and Pomona,
Calif.) to win the 2007 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle championship.
"We're still in the hunt for a Countdown
spot," Krawiec said. "I think this team is going to rebound and
do just fine in Memphis in two weeks. We're going to be even stronger
having gone through a tough weekend like this one."
The next NHRA POWERade event featuring the Pro
Stock Motorcycle category is the 20th annual O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals
at Memphis Motorsports Park, Sept. 14-16.
Hines Ringer's Gloves Pro Bike Battle
|
E.T. |
MPH |
RT |
| R1 |
7.007 |
189.18 |
.019 |
| R2 |
7.037 |
187.60 |
.016 |
| R3 |
7.005 |
189.31 |
.038 |
* Third career Ringer's Gloves Pro Bike Battle victory in five career
appearances
Hines at Indianapolis
|
E.T. |
MPH |
RT |
| Q1 |
10.063 |
84.50 |
|
| Q2 |
7.007 |
189.18 |
|
| Q3 |
7.037 |
187.60 |
|
| Q4 |
6.968 |
191.40 |
|
| Q5 |
6.969 |
192.58 |
No. 3 |
| R1 |
6.974 |
191.38 |
.028 |
| R2 |
7.001 |
185. |
-.013 |
Krawiec at Indianapolis
|
E.T. |
MPH |
RT |
| Q1 |
7.115 |
183.47 |
|
| Q2 |
7.115 |
185.95 |
|
| Q3 |
7.078 |
183.84 |
|
| Q4 |
7.085 |
186.10 |
|
| Q5 |
7.069 |
187.70 |
No. 14 |
| R1 |
7.067 |
187.44 |
.045 |
Screamin' Eagle Performance Parts are inspired by
and built in the spirit of the raw adrenaline and power of motorcycle
racing. Screamin' Eagle Pro parts are specifically designed for race-use
applications, while Screamin' Eagle parts offer street-use performance
options for the Harley-Davidson motorcycle owner. Visit
www.harley-davidson.com for more information.
The Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines Pro Stock
Motorcycle team is sponsored by Ford Truck, Dunlop, Matco Tools and S100.